6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Vanuatu

6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of the island nation of Vanuatu, said on Thursday the U.S. Geological Survey website (USGS).

According to the service, the earthquake was recorded at 12.23 local time (17.34 MSK). Hearth lies at a depth of 10 kilometers, the epicenter of the quake was located at a distance of 115 kilometers west of the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila.

The threat of a tsunami is not reported.

Vanuatu Islands are part of the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" — a horseshoe-shaped band of volcanoes and tectonic faults up to 40,000 kilometers. It encircles the Pacific Ocean, passing along the coasts of North and South America to the southern part of Alaska, then turns to Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia, and ends near the island of New Guinea, New Zealand and South West Pacific. It is in the "Ring of Fire" are 90% of all earthquakes in the world.